# Coke with sugar or corn syrup?



## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

A few years ago I read that in Mexico they still use cane sugar to sweeten Coke instead of the corn syrup that is used here in the states. Some local markets occasionally carry the Mexico bottled Cokes, and I have noticed a cleaner taste to the sugar sweetened ones vs. the corn syrup versions, but I also found it to be a little sweeter which is not a plus for me.

I happened to see some last night so I picked up a few - again I found that they do have a clean taste, more like I remember as a kid, but a little too sweet.

I have no idea what these Cokes sell for in Mexico, but if sugar costs more I don't see how most people in Mexico can afford to pay more? I figure they like the sweeter version but I'm still a little puzzled...


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## BigVito (Jan 1, 2000)

sugar


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## Eternal Rider (Feb 27, 2006)

They make Dr. Pepper in Plano,Tx with sugar on a limited supply. Like you say it tastes cleaner too. The soda industry went to corn syrup because it is cheaper,and they it tastes the same. 
I think Mexico is just making it the way they always have, because they would have to change part of the production process.


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## BigVito (Jan 1, 2000)

my taste buds pretend they can tell the difference and prefer sugar or HFCS


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## Cubatobaco (Jul 5, 2007)

(Azucar) I know that when I was in Honduras, Coke tasted a lot sweeter than the Coke we have here in the States.


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## fordkustom (Jun 28, 2007)

I prefer coke mixed with bakeing soda over a warm flame.


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## RJT (Feb 12, 2005)

fordkustom said:


> I prefer coke mixed with bakeing soda over a warm flame.


:mn


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

Eternal Rider said:


> They make Dr. Pepper in Plano,Tx with sugar on a limited supply...


I had heard about this - they said they are willing to make less profit to make a better product. Great, something else that I need to try...


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

fordkustom said:


> I prefer coke mixed with bakeing soda over a warm flame.


We need pics. :chk (I have no idea what the deal is with the dancing chicken... just thought it should go here)


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## fordkustom (Jun 28, 2007)

guys, i tried googleing for pics of crack being made but came up empty handed. all i found was pictures of crack rocks in baggies. Sorry.


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

fordkustom said:


> guys, i tried googleing for pics of crack being made but came up empty handed. all i found was pictures of crack rocks in baggies. Sorry.


Better watch what you google for  - course, you could say it was for a research project...


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## mikeyj23 (Feb 25, 2007)

bazookajoe said:


> I had heard about this - they said they are willing to make less profit to make a better product. Great, something else that I need to try...


Aah! What you're talking about is actually called Dublin Dr. Pepper - made in Dublin, TX. It's made at the very first DP bottling plant and is made with real Imperial Cane Sugar.

It's very yummy - different aftertaste than normal DP. You can get it bottled or else go to Chicken Express around DFW where it's on tap.


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## fordkustom (Jun 28, 2007)

bazookajoe said:


> Better watch what you google for  - course, you could say it was for a research project...


LOL i doubt it would really raise any concerns and besides i have a reputation in my community for being very anti drug and drug free


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## BigVito (Jan 1, 2000)

Police Chief?


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## soulskater (Aug 24, 2004)

Boylan's make very good soda pop using cane sugar, not corn syrup. Their Cane Cola, Root Beer and Cream Soda are tasty.

Check out Galco's in Highland Park, they have rows and rows of specialty soda pop.


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## replicant_argent (May 13, 2006)

I believe Kosher Coke is made the real way, you can find it in nicer grocery stores


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## Syekick (Jun 5, 2007)

I'll stick with the original formula Coca-Cola if I come across it. Grandpa said it was good stuff.


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

replicant_argent said:


> I believe Kosher Coke is made the real way, you can find it in nicer grocery stores


Is is available year round? I had heard it was only in stores during Jewish holidays.


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## txmatt (May 22, 2004)

Eternal Rider said:


> They make Dr. Pepper in Plano,Tx with sugar on a limited supply. Like you say it tastes cleaner too. The soda industry went to corn syrup because it is cheaper,and they it tastes the same.
> I think Mexico is just making it the way they always have, because they would have to change part of the production process.


Where is the sugar sweetened Dr. Pepper sold? I work in Plano and have never heard/noticed you could get it sugar sweetened.

There is an internet retailer that sells Mexican Coke (http://www.popsoda.com/index.html), they used to also sell foreign Pepsi but company lawyers threatened litigation to stop them doing so. It is sad that the threat of a lawsuit is all it takes.. I can also sometimes find the small glass bottles of Mexican Coke at a few area grocery stores.

The sugar sweetened definitely tastes better to me.


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## mikeyj23 (Feb 25, 2007)

txmatt said:


> Where is the sugar sweetened Dr. Pepper sold? I work in Plano and have never heard/noticed you could get it sugar sweetened.
> 
> There is an internet retailer that sells Mexican Coke (http://www.popsoda.com/index.html), they used to also sell foreign Pepsi but company lawyers threatened litigation to stop them doing so. It is sad that the threat of a lawsuit is all it takes.. I can also sometimes find the small glass bottles of Mexican Coke at a few area grocery stores.
> 
> The sugar sweetened definitely tastes better to me.


Like I said above, go to Chicken Express (1821 E Spring Creek Pkwy in Plano) and they'll have Dublin Dr. Pepper (made in Dublin, not Plano).


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## hornitosmonster (Sep 5, 2006)

The OG Sugar Coke. :tu

Not only taste better plain but makes for a better mix drink.


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## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

I know there are production reasons for the corn syrup, and I don't know if it was at the cola exhibit at Epcot or where, but I do recall that over-seas colas tend to be sweeter as a group compared to domestic formulations. The exhibit I am thinking about had maybe a dozen different soft drinks from around the world, and pretty much every one of them was a lot sweeter than what I was used to. I'd like to try some of the non-corn syrup Coke.


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## soulskater (Aug 24, 2004)

from my experience drinking soda made with cane sugar is that it tends to be not as sweet as that made with corn sryrup, it also doesnt have a heavy aftertaste like with regular soda. 

soda like OG formula Dr. Pepper, Bubble Up, Coke or small soda pop makers like Boylan's, Hanks or root beer makers like Virgil's, Mason's and Bulldog Rootbeer all use cane sugar


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## mugwump (Jun 7, 2007)

I went into Costco today and couldn't believe what I saw -- a pallet full of cases of real Mexican Coke in glass bottles. They slapped English language stickers on each bottle but they were the real thing made with cane sugar. Needless to say I bought a few cases at $18 a pop. This was the flagship store right next to their HQ so I have no idea if other Costcos have any or if they're trying it out here first.


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

mugwump said:


> I went into Costco today and couldn't believe what I saw -- a pallet full of cases of real Mexican Coke in glass bottles. They slapped English language stickers on each bottle but they were the real thing made with cane sugar. Needless to say I bought a few cases at $18 a pop. This was the flagship store right next to their HQ so I have no idea if other Costcos have any or if they're trying it out here first.


Guess I'm going to Costco tomorrow. How many bottles in a case?


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## M1903A1 (Jun 7, 2006)

bazookajoe said:


> Guess I'm going to Costco tomorrow. How many bottles in a case?


I'll have to check that out too!

There is a definite taste difference...I can scarcely remember Old Coke (my parents didn't allow soda at home then) but I remember having the real deal, in the old style glass bottles, in France. Tried the Mexican product last spring in a Mexican restaurant in Berwyn.

As to the kosher Coke, it's true...supposedly they color code the caps yellow, and it is made only around Passover. (Not sure how widely it's distributed though, or for how long each season.)


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## germantown rob (Sep 19, 2005)

What ever happened to Sucrose? It seems hard to find in any products any more, I guess saving a few cents is worth it to make this...

*High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then processing the glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. It all sounds rather simple--white cornstarch is turned into crystal clear syrup. However, the process is actually very complicated. Three different enzymes are needed to break down cornstarch, which is composed of chains of glucose molecules of almost infinite length, into the simple sugars glucose and fructose.

First, cornstarch is treated with alpha-amylase to produce shorter chains of sugars called polysaccharides. Alpha-amylase is industrially produced by a bacterium, usually Bacillus sp. It is purified and then shipped to HFCS manufacturers.

Next, an enzyme called glucoamylase breaks the sugar chains down even further to yield the simple sugar glucose. Unlike alpha-amylase, glucoamylase is produced by Aspergillus, a fungus, in a fermentation vat where one would likely see little balls of Aspergillus floating on the top.

The third enzyme, glucose-isomerase, is very expensive. It converts glucose to a mixture of about 42 percent fructose and 50-52 percent glucose with some other sugars mixed in. While alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are added directly to the slurry, pricey glucose-isomerase is packed into columns and the sugar mixture is then passed over it. Inexpensive alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are used only once, glucose-isomerase is reused until it loses most of its activity.

There are two more steps involved. First is a liquid chromatography step that takes the mixture to 90 percent fructose. Finally, this is back-blended with the original mixture to yield a final concentration of about 55 percent fructose--what the industry calls high fructose corn syrup.

HFCS has the exact same sweetness and taste as an equal amount of sucrose from cane or beet sugar but it is obviously much more complicated to make, involving vats of murky fermenting liquid, fungus and chemical tweaking, all of which take place in one of 16 chemical plants located in the Corn Belt. Yet in spite of all the special enzymes required, HFCS is actually cheaper than sugar. It is also very easy to transport--it's just piped into tanker trucks. This translates into lower costs and higher profits for food producers.*


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

There's a street full of kosher markets down the road from me, as well as ton of latino grocery stores... one of them has to sell this I hope. good thread.


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## skibumdc (Jun 27, 2007)

replicant_argent said:


> I believe Kosher Coke is made the real way, you can find it in nicer grocery stores


Yup start looking for it around March time frame because of Passover. Depending on the Jewish population in your area you may have a large supply or not, depends on what the store orders.
They usually have a different color cap around that time of year and have the Kosher for Passover wording/symbol on them.

I know people that stock on it for year round consumption because they prefer it over the Corn Syrup version.

OR

Just go to Israel and drink it.


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## mugwump (Jun 7, 2007)

bazookajoe said:


> Guess I'm going to Costco tomorrow. How many bottles in a case?


24 12oz bottles. While I like the flavor of cane sugar Coke what really has me excited are the glass bottles. Growing up that was the only way we ever had Coke other than from a soda fountain.


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## doctorcue (Apr 19, 2006)

I have been getting the Coke from Costco and I love it. It is a cleaner taste. One thing I noticed is that even as it get flat & warms up to room temp; it still tastes good. I don't know if the glass is keeping it cooler or the real sugar doesn't alter in taste at higher temps vs. corn syrup.

All I know is that between the real Coke and beer; there isn't much room in the fridge for much else.


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## Jason_of_Texas (Jun 20, 2007)

The sugar cane DP's ARE THE BEST!!! Taste sooooo good,you can really tell the difference in the DPs with sugar,and corn syrup. So my votes with sugar.


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